Tag Archives: 1st Dibs

A few weeks ago I did a small roundup of modern rocking chairs to accompany a decor story in the Boston Globe. (Every Monday my lovely colleague Jaci Conroy writes an interior design article for the Globe and I pull together a corresponding group of furnishings & accessories.) I found so many great modern rocking chairs + contemporary rocking chairs that I figured a blog post was in order.

These all have great styling and are a far departure from traditional rockers or overstuffed gliders for the nursery. We have an Eames molded plastic rocker in sky blue on the Cape that we bought for my son, though I think it’s in our room now. Sometimes I use it on our little deck. I didn’t include that iconic example here, but there are other examples (mid-century modern furniture replicas), like the #16, the Swerve which has jaunty cut-outs and a full wooden base.

I love the look of #5, a very spare rocker from NYC shop Matter, and of love the tall mint-upholstered one by Normann Copenhagen. And if only I could place that blush colored Artifort rocker in the model apartment I’m decorating. Probably thought, the one that makes the most sense for my lifestyle is Gus Modern’s GT rocker (#13). It is definitely a contemporary rocking chair in style, but with enough cushion to be comfy.

Shop 30 modern rocking chairs from StyleCarrot partners and other favorite shops.

A million years ago, we offloaded our television in the living room, leaving an extra roomy could-be bar cabinet free and clear. It soon became a convenient space, given its boxy shape, to store art we weren’t displaying, extra picture frames, and overflow throw pillows. A television has since taken up residence again with a new DVD player, specifically for me to watch movies (since I don’t know how to work the main TV with its fifty-buttoned five remotes), or currently, Friday Night Lights (OMG, Tim Riggins).

I had the best intentions; I imagined transforming the newly vacant slot, complete with pull-out shelf, into a stylish home bar cabinet for my husband. I thought about it a lot, knowing it would make a much appreciated birthday gift. But no follow through from me. Instead, liquor bottles remain relegated to the upper cabinet of the pantry, with some of the more attractive specimens on display atop the would-be bar cabinet in a teal lacquer bar tray, provided by the lovely ladies at an agency for Absolut. (You can see my bar tray styling post here.)

So, woe is my husband’s home bar situation. Jon Draper he shall never be. But if you have room in your living room, you could set up a stylish home bar in one of these 25 bar cabinets chosen from a dozen of my favorite sources for modern and classic furnishings, including some partner sites. Imagine tucking one of these bar cabinets into an unused corner, complete with a shiny cocktail shaker, sleek drinkware, and stripey paper straws.

In addition to the features, I put together the StyleWatch product page, which highlighted seven colorful upholstered swivel chairs. Swivel chairs are a perennial favorite of interior designers. A pair of swivel chairs can bridge the two separate conversation areas in an oversize living room. In the family room, swivel chairs can face either the sofas or the television, allowing for multi-function flexibility. Designer Alys Protzman, who decorated this yellow and white cottage on Cape Cod, likes to place a cluster of swivel chairs around a table to create an entire seating area that delights kids and adults. (Spin, spin, spin.)

There are lots of different types of swivel chairs available for living spaces, including mod styles on pedestals. Other than the one Jonathan Adler swivel chair I included here (because I just couldn’t resist it), these upholstered swivel chairs resemble traditional easy chairs that one would not expect to rotate. These upholstered swivel chairs would work in any room, whether to serve two functions near a television or open kitchen, or used as a reading chair by a window in the bedroom. (Or just use it to pile clothing on and swivel it away from you when it becomes overloaded.)

Here are 45 upholstered swivel chairs in every color as well as some patterns from StyleCarrot partners and others.

Reclaimed and/or rustic pieces can add texture to a crisply modern white space, blend into a well-patina’d industrial loft, or mix easily with early colonial and naif folk styles. Of course reclaimed wood furnishings are also at home among vintage finds. Don’t use too much of it. One piece in a room, or a few sprinkled throughout the house, does the trick.

Here are 20 pieces of reclaimed wood bedroom furniture from StyleCarrot partners and other excellent resources.

Hutker Architects coined a term for the style of home they’ve been busily building on Martha’s Vineyard for the past 25 years: “new regional vernacular.” Peter Cappuccino, lead architect on this project explains it as using traditional forms and familiar materials but applying them in new ways, while designing to suit a modern lifestyle.

Anne and Peter’s Vineyard home is a perfect example. I wrote about it in an article called “Vineyard Dreams” for the Cape & Islands issue of The Boston Globe Magazine on Sunday, July 20. I hope you will click through to read the story, as well as scroll down here for additional photos and notes.

There are both water and wooded views from the steeply sloping site. Here, the deck, which connects the public spaces of the living room, kitchen, and screened porch, looks north. Here, the master bedroom deck has an amazing view towards Nantucket Sound. From the corner, one can see the steamship ferry come and go from Wood’s Hole.

All the rooms enjoy what Cappuccino called “single width volumes,” meaning every room has at least three exposures. One ascends the stairs, enters through a single story space with a standing seam metal roof. To the right a two story space houses the kids rooms downstairs and guest suite, with a private stair. The two-story volume in the middle towards the back holds the master suite upstairs, also with private stair, and kitchen below. There’s also a family room behind that. The long room jutting into the foreground on the left is a double living room and dining room with cathedral ceiling. Decks and a screened porch run along the other side.

Courtney Fadness, who recently moved on from Hutker, designed the home’s interiors using a high/low approach, using fun graphic pieces. The Standishes, who have three college aged kids, wanted the home to feel cozy, but with plenty of pattern and splashes of color. Fadness says, “Since it’s nestled in the trees, rather than on the beach, we could play with a more saturated palette than if we had been tied to ocean hues.”

A custom diamond pattern sisal by Merida is the base layer that runs the length of the huge room. A Moroccan-inspired dhurrie by Madeline Weinrib defines the seating area above. The sofa is a custom piece by Vioski, upholstered in a linen blend by Romo. It has a notch cut out on the back for a console table, so when you approach from dining room, you see shelves on that side. Fadnes says, “It feels more inviting, and its sculptural silhouette looks beautiful from all angles.”

The dining room, which precedes the double living room space, is dominated by a live edge wood table with a steel insert and base that the couple found on 1st Dibs, along with a statement chandelier. The wood slat and metal chairs are outdoor pieces from Terrain, and the upholstered chairs add heft and height.

The Currey & Company “Bayside” chandelier is wrought iron hand-wrapped in abaca rope; a nod to the beach. She says, “The not too serious interpretation of a traditional form adds feminine curves; it’s a nice juxtaposition to the more modern and masculine table. It also helps fill the volume of the space, without feeling heavy or obstructing views.”

The wall on either side of the fireplace is painted teal, a color pulled from the Madison & Grow wallpaper across the room. The chairs have a nice back, so can be oriented towards the first or the second seating areas. Metallic gold dot pillow from Anthropologie.

Deeper into the space, pushing out towards the view, is the living room’s second seating area. The sofa and armchairs are Baker Furniture, upholstered in linen by Romo and a nubby brown fabric. and The assortment of reclaimed wood coffee tables are from Anthropologie, and the arc lamp from CB2.

The screened porch has sturdy teak sofas with indoor/outdoor cushions.

The kitchen is on smaller side, with a focus on the more practical aspects, The countertop is Caesarstone and the the backsplash of stove is a river rock –painted cabinetry, tom Dixon pendants, the backsplash over the stove is a river rock, bringing outside elements in. The cabinetry have painted frames with frosted resin insets and the light pendants are Tom Dixon. The palette reflects the monochromatic contrast of white on dark found in several other places in the house. The flooring in the entry and kitchen is budget- and user-friendly cork.

“Ribbed” by Ferm Living wallpaper in the powder room again shows the play of light and dark, and also brings in organic shapes. The sink looks like hammered metal but is actually porcelain. The homeowners found the mirror. A limestone counter sits atop a bamboo vanity that’s the same color as the bamboo floor. The Kohler single handle faucet is brushed nickel.

The kids hang in the casual family room, located behind the kitchen, to watch television.

Anne likens the experience of her airy master bedroom to sleeping in a treehouse. All the walls, as well as the cathedral ceiling, are painted pale blue, as it were a continuation of the horizon. Graphic rug by Dwell Studio.